I don’t think I have ever seen a lassi quite this vibrant in hue. After some discussion we reached a general consensus it contained coconut milk and carrot juice. It was liked, however those seeking creamier more yogurty fare will probably be disappointed.

Of all the appetizers we ordered this one was arguably my favorite. It is called Bombay aloo tikkyas, but I prefer to call them Bombay latkas. Paired with coriander chutney they were rather tasty.

We also ordered pakoras and samosas. All were summarily consumed.

One item that tickled everyone’s— be they meat eaters or otherwise— fancy was the “chicken lollipop”. Although the Mister and his fellow carnivores were disappointed it didn’t come on a stick (which struck us all as being the point of the exercise) they found the tandoori-meets-lemon marinade flavor compelling.

Being a vegetarian myself I ordered baighun bharta (roasted eggplant) and shag paneer (spinach with Indian cheese). Truth be told the latter left me non-plussed. It was a bit too sweet for my taste. My advice: go with the eggplant instead.

The garlic naan was garlicky and blissfully bereft of grease. Big plus. As for the carnivores, the entree of choice was chicken vindaloo. It was seized upon with such ferocity I couldn’t even get a photo of it. But the biggest surprise of the evening came when we (re)discovered this establishment has a rather spacious patio for outdoor dining…

which is inexplicably decorated with a number of wood plaques for diner’s edification.

New York Shitty analysis:

As probably anyone (and there were quite a few) who tried Bombay Garden last night will probably attest the service was painfully slow and somewhat disorganized, if gracious and polite. To cite an example: number of people in my group ordered mulligatawny soup. By the time our entrees arrived, alas, it had not. We canceled our order. I chalk this up to the first day doing business. Hopefully they’ll get the kinks straightened out as they get up and running.

Jackson Heights caliber cuisine this is not. But this is not to suggest there are not items worth trying: there are.

I know of no place in Jackson Heights— or New York City for that matter— where you can kick back curry while taking in the following piece of wisdom.

All in all, I’d recommend to anyone who wants to give this place a whirl to go at off-peak times or perhaps lunchtime until they get the waitstaff and kitchen better coordinated.

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Comments

3 Comments on Open For Business: Bombay Garden

superclam on
Sat, 19th Jun 2010 7:54 am

I had a feeling you’d be there. I was there at 6:30. They were pretty empty, but soon filled up the back & seemed to be doing a pretty good business for an opening day.
Your assessment is pretty accurate – slow service & they screwed up the order. Very polite & accommodating.
The food was mediocre and kind of lackluster. The samosas were not homemade.
We spoke to the owner, who said they weren’t ready to open, but since he advertised, he kind of had to. He was very nice. (Name was something with an A – Aziz maybe?)
Still, by default, the best Indian restaurant in Greenpoint. I’ll give them a few more tries. As you said, plenty to eat for vegetarians & meat-eaters.

P.S. Those signs (& outdoor tables) are left over from the Socrates days & who knows how long before that.

100% completely what I expected, but thank you for the analysis. Yes, those signs are from Socrates (which I always pronounce as two syllables). I’m a little disappointed that Bombay Garden seemed to have done nothing to give it an atmosphere. Well, apart from the one inherited from Socrates, which was always kind of depressing. I’m sure I’ll go soon as it’s 20 feet away from me and I love me some vindaloo! Take out…

Kai on
Mon, 21st Jun 2010 8:45 am

The interior also hasn’t changed since the Socrates days. It looks like a Greek diner. Outside this isn’t as obvious. Hopefully they’re still decorating.

I was very happy with the food and the atmosphere, however. The service certainly had its kinks (I felt like I was being served by four waiters at once). I’m sure this will get ironed out, however.

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